Vita-Mix 5200 vs. Vita-Prep 3 - Side by side comparison and cooling test

[BamaSherill]

I needed this to help make my decision!

Thanks for all your efforts!!!

[supersanbob]

Do these blend jizz?

[starksenterprises]

@supersanbob Easily! Probably one of the richest foods known to nature (depending on the individual, hence mine is 'necter from heaven') and would be one of the most nutrient dense foods to add to a smoothie.

[ColdIndian1]

Quicker performance = cooler and more enzyme rich Raw Food.

A breeze with ice, avocado pits, and all that one would process. Get it through a reputable restaurant supply house; such as mine came from Restaurant Equipment World.( I have no affiliation nor sell anything.)

[alphatwinsfan]

how the fuck did I end up here?

[MySpeedVision]

Haha. Thanks for the compliment. :-)

[rdmerck]

I like your methods of testing, nice work.

[tracyk12]

Thanks a lot!!! I know which one to purchase now :O)

[buddyjay369]

Nice comparison. Thanks.

[Entropy56]

7 yr warranty? Sold!

[bintasyllah]

Thank you very much for your comparison. The 3blenders guy also seems really cool.

[aidsaids88]

hey man been tossing between which blender to get. Thanks for making this review, its so hard to get comparisons between these two titans.

[PopGoesNappy]

thank you, very informative.

[txnrobin]

lots of good information, thanks for the demo.

[Symmm]

Thanks for the information and the sound comparison was great (we don't have a CostCo here)

[rush20002000]

nice comparison! super thorough! 

[MySpeedVision]

Also, for the record, I tried a Blendtec style carafe and ended up sending it back. Why? The lid leaked. The drips after pouring would run down the side and make a mess. The food would bridge requiring the tamper more often.

Outdated? Irrelevant? You're entitled to your opinion, but this is a blender, not a Mac vs. PC debate...

[MySpeedVision]

Super, enjoy your $1000 blender. Now back to comparing two blenders that are still more money than most want to pay, but great performing products nevertheless.

BTW, my VP3 has been making nearly 64 oz of fruit and veggie purée (ok, smoothies) daily since I posted this video and I'm very happy with my choice!

[g1981c]

also i forgot to mention that i got my blending station advance this week and i love it. it has all the niceties of 5200 like the new lid design and BPA free carafe and it has all the cooling of vita prep and more - 15 amps. anything else is a compromise.

[bintasyllah]

@g1981c I promise I'm not stalking you. Just realized that you're the reason I became interested in the Advance in the 1st place, so thanks. I referenced this video in a comment (to you) without realizing that you'd already seen this video.

[g1981c]

that's great but the blender to get is Vita-Mix Blending Station Advance. the carafe on the vita prep and 5200 is the old-style or "standard" vita-mix carafe. the new vita-mix carafes ( XP and Advance ) are wider and shorter - like those on Blendtecs. The "standard" carafe isn't used by any smoothie chains. the new carafes require more torque so you need an "advance" blender model to use them safely. between 5200 and vita-prep you're splitting hairs - they are both outdated and irrelevant.

[g1981c]

besides u can't really get 3 horsepower from standard 120V outlet anyway. if the two units had the same warranty and both had bpa free jar it would be an easy win for the vita prep 3 but as it is i think 5200 still wins. when they market the same unit for commercial application they HAVE TO slash the warranty. but why should i get stuck with lousy commercial warranty when i only will use it at home ?

[g1981c]

i duno. bpa free jar and twice the warranty for $75 less and only about 10% less power as per your temperature measurement.

[MySpeedVision]

Blades are identical. IMO, any temp difference is relevant. As always, you'll have to draw your own conclusions with the info provided.

[starbuck680]

When you did the test to see which blender heats the water quicker I think you should have done the test again with the pitchers switched. Who's to say that the difference between the two isn't a factor? Not to mention that the blades may be slightly different.

[MySpeedVision]

Yes, either fit.

Container sits right in the base perfectly every time, so no worries there. For school, you'll likely need a sound enclosure because these blenders make a lot of noise!

[eatmoreraw]

Thanks for the video. Does the prep3 blender jug fit on the 5200 base, and visa versa?

Also, do either of them have any safety cut-out so that if the jug isn't fitted the base won't start? I'm helping out in schools, and need a machine that is as safe and powerful as possible.

[MySpeedVision]

Lids - I do like the new lid style of the 5200 better. Unless the blender is really full, I rarely lock down the lid anyway. I wouldn't make it part of your buying decision unless you have any medical problems with your hands...

[stallen5]

Thanks for the video. I was torn between the two blenders. Since the price difference is negligible, the only thing the Vita-mix has going for it is the 7 year warranty. I think I'll choose more power over a long warranty. Besides, the Vita-PREP was built for more abuse and theoretically should outlast the Vita-MIX 5200 when used in the same environment (commercial or residential).

One question. What do you think about the lids. Did you like one over the other? Why?

[MySpeedVision]

TonyaTko - No and yes... More horsepower + bigger fan = better cooling and the commercial vs. consumer rating. I was amazed at the VP3 air flow.

[121miki]

thank you very much.

[TonyaTko]

So are you saying you're choosing your blender based off of how much air it blows out of its base? I dont think I'm understanding. Does the air being blown out truly show that the motor is being kept cooler?

-Tko

[Ceraphinas]

Thank You for your test, I found it very helpful. I don't always buy things because they're more expensive (better) but at a $75 difference, with higher power & a better cooling fan, I'd rather go with the Prep 3! :)

[rachlmh]

Good comparison. I thought it was a lot more informative than the popular mechanics comparison, which was subjective!

[jawarren09]

its not aluminum... its steel..